As head gardener I have the envious task of weeding the potager, I am sure there are many out there that would relish this task and I might get trampled in the rush to help. Anyway this brings me onto the subject of this post, a button. This is not just any button but a French military button from an artillery company and it was just lying there on the ground next to the squash plant, fancy that.
The green colour is "verdi gris", a copper carbonate which is formed over time on copper or in this case brass (zinc and copper compound). Verdi gris was used as a pigment in paintings but I digress. This button has a brass front decorated with crossed cannons below a flaming cannonball, also known as the shell and flame, the back is steel and was made by A and M of Paris. The date of manufacturer is between 1873 - 1914 and commands a massive value of 4 euros.
Val says I had images of a battalion of soldiers laid in your garden quaffing water or wine before the march onwards, but it was the era of the Franco - Prussian war so no marching here. Then I imagined a young recruit and his maman had washed his uniform in the outside tub, giving it a rub and losing the button.
This has to be one for creative writing groups " how did the button get there? "
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